Jbeau
02-06-2005, 10:36 PM
hello all! i guess i'll just vent here as i'm not sure how this works...
i'm a teacher at a school where "spirit" is a foreign word and the staff looks at you as if you have three heads if you dare say "good morning!" to them; the principal believes that "professionals" do not need positive feedback about their work in order to work effectively, but should focus only on what they need to improve. my particular position receives absolutely NO respect from anyone: the students are forced to take my class and they resent it, the parents don't care about what i'm teaching because they don't feel it is important, and the rest of the staff seems to see me only as a glorified babysitter so other teachers can have a 30 minute break while i take their students off their hands. i came into this job with enthusiasm and all kinds of creative ideas to create a successful program, but since then, both my enthusiasm as well as my self-esteem have been rapidly deflating. i have taught in one other school in my almost-3 year teaching career, and while i still wasn't positive that teaching (at least in a classroom setting) was the career for me, i was happy enough in my old school's setting. i only have about 17 weeks (not that i'm counting!!) until the end of my contract and i desperately wish i was strong enough to make it through to the end, but i'm seriously starting to worry about my sanity at this point. the stress/frustration/misery from my job is starting to become all-consuming! it's all i ever seem to be able to think/talk/dream about and it's negatively affecting many other areas of my life (eating, sleeping, stupid fights with boyfriend, etc.) the obvious solution seems to be QUIT!!!!, but i'm very scared to ruin my chances for future employment opportunities. i mean, who would want to hire a "quitter"??? does anyone have any strategies for surviving the next 17 weeks without negatively affecting my life outside of work??? please advise if you can!!
i'm a teacher at a school where "spirit" is a foreign word and the staff looks at you as if you have three heads if you dare say "good morning!" to them; the principal believes that "professionals" do not need positive feedback about their work in order to work effectively, but should focus only on what they need to improve. my particular position receives absolutely NO respect from anyone: the students are forced to take my class and they resent it, the parents don't care about what i'm teaching because they don't feel it is important, and the rest of the staff seems to see me only as a glorified babysitter so other teachers can have a 30 minute break while i take their students off their hands. i came into this job with enthusiasm and all kinds of creative ideas to create a successful program, but since then, both my enthusiasm as well as my self-esteem have been rapidly deflating. i have taught in one other school in my almost-3 year teaching career, and while i still wasn't positive that teaching (at least in a classroom setting) was the career for me, i was happy enough in my old school's setting. i only have about 17 weeks (not that i'm counting!!) until the end of my contract and i desperately wish i was strong enough to make it through to the end, but i'm seriously starting to worry about my sanity at this point. the stress/frustration/misery from my job is starting to become all-consuming! it's all i ever seem to be able to think/talk/dream about and it's negatively affecting many other areas of my life (eating, sleeping, stupid fights with boyfriend, etc.) the obvious solution seems to be QUIT!!!!, but i'm very scared to ruin my chances for future employment opportunities. i mean, who would want to hire a "quitter"??? does anyone have any strategies for surviving the next 17 weeks without negatively affecting my life outside of work??? please advise if you can!!